The blight
by sam carter 1013
Summary: "The only thing Olivia could think about while Peter shook Charlie's hand was that she hadn't seen him in over a month and how much she just wanted to touch him once more." EPILOGUE
1. Chapter 1

Spoilers: Set after "Olivia. In the lab. With the revolver." But before "White tulip."

Disclaimer: No inFRINGEment intended. (I have always wanted to use that one.)

Author's note: I was pondering the other day about happiness, what makes us happy? Me? Certainly not Fringe, I always cry during the episodes now; I noticed that I haven't been happy about many things in many years, and this, writing, as pathetic as it's going to sound, makes me happy. So, I want to thank everybody who has ever read, reviewed, alerted or favorited any of my stories, thanks for your time and interest. REALLY.

Sorry about the depressing note, but it needed to be said. I wanted to write something happy, but I think we are at a point in Fringe where I just simply can't, so this is sad.

I want to thanks first to the wonderful babypumpkin for volunteering to prove read my fics, some of the people who read took the time to let me know that my fics had mistakes (thank you!), and babypumpkin voluntereed for the job, I'm forever in your debt. Then, I want to dedicate this one to CiderApples, if you have read her fics probably you know why: Cider, you have a way with words that not everybody (meaning me) don't have and "Standby" gave me the push to write this (and the depressing note), I know it won't even get close to your perfection but I do hope is worthy of your fics.

Wjobsessed: this is 100% Bolivia, I swear. (I still feel like I owe you)

Well, if you are still here I hope you stick around to read and hopefully review. Enjoy!

**********

The blight

**********

**Blight**, _noun, _affliction, plague, scourge, bane, woe, curse, misfortune, calamity, trouble, tribulation, evil, corruption, pollution, contamination.

**********

1:56

1:56

1:56

1:57

Olivia turned in her bed again, trying to find a comfortable position to lay awake the rest of the night.

Peter would be gone in the morning.

Walter had said he would tell him, not when exactly, but she could possibly wake up in the morning and he would be gone. This time it was the wait what was keeping her awake.

She looked to the bedside table; the half-empty bottle of whisky was still there, accusing her. She had ingested more of the liquor during the last couple of weeks than what she had done in a year, she knew she was going for a title of alcoholic and that at some point somebody would notice, but she just didn't have the energy to care anymore. The problem with the whisky was now, like Walter, she was building a resistance and every time took more and more to numb her. Tonight it hadn't worked at all; she was as awake as it was six o'clock in the morning.

Getting home after talking to Walter Olivia had directed to the kitchen to grab the last clean glass from the kitchen cabinet, the rest of the evidence was lying on the sink, ridiculous; she didn't even have time to do her dishes now. She had poured the liquid and went to get and ice cube from the freezer when she had remembered she didn't have any, the last couple of those were put to better use on her swollen head. It had been the only thing she had allowed Peter to do for her before sending him home, she had seen him eyeing the glasses in the sink suspiciously. Having him in her apartment, picking things, giving him time and opportunity to see what horrible condition she was in, doing normal things had been a sick joke.

Olivia threw the covers away, what was the point anymore? She took the bottle and poured another shot of the amber liquid, she could feel it going down, the only other sign of it's' effects were her stingy eyes. She wandered around the house with the bottle and glass in hand, if she didn't do something she would be a zombie in the morning.

So what? He isn't going to be here in the morning.

She swallowed another shot.

She suddenly felt like she was going to throw up. Olivia ran to the bathroom but the contents of her stomach, which were not much, decided to stay in place.

She splashed some water on her face, and looked up to the mirror; she was a disaster, the bags under her eyes had bags for themselves, she was pale and her hair was a mess even though she had brushed it, and her eyes, God, her soul was pouring out of them. She opened the cabinet trying to eliminate the reflection and then she saw the bottle.

Walter had given her a bottle of sleeping pills last year after her encounter with Nick Lane, she hadn't used the pills even then, but this situation was even worse, it surpassed her. She felt so defeated.

Olivia left the bathroom, pills in hand and went to retrieve her glass of whisky, she poured another shot. She sat on the bed and looked at the label, the pills were outdated. She looked again at the glass in her hand; she had drunk the liquid without noticing. Her mind was screaming that it was a bad idea to mix high dosages of outdated pills and copious amounts of alcohol, but for once she just didn't care, she just wanted to sleep.

**********

Peter entered the lab, coffee tray in hand. He had bought her one today, he was sure she would be coming early again.

He felt happy, at home, calm; emotions that would usually make him feel like running, but not this time; this time he wanted to stay.

He delivered the coffees to Astrid and Walter and went to sit on the bench next to Gene to drink his own and eat the apple he had barely snatched from the fridge that morning. Unconspiciously placing her steaming cup of coffee next to his, he bit his apple. He was sure he was smiling like a teenager, but really, things were good, Olivia seemed to be almost back to normal from their Jacksonville excursion, Walter had made taffy and planning a father-son trip which he was actually looking forward to; not because he was going with Walter somewhere, but because he would finally have a couple of days off from this circus (he could still lie to himself, right?). All in all, things were good.

He finished his coffee and apple almost and hour later, dragging it as much as he could waiting for her, but she never came. Maybe he had miscalculated and she wasn't coming today, maybe she was avoiding him again. He sighed. His happiness had just evaporated with the last drops of his coffee. He dropped his empty cup and the untouched one into the trash can and went to occupy his already paranoiac mind into more useful things.

**********

It was past noon when Peter was thinking of calling Olivia, and dismissing the idea immediately, the telephone rang. Astrid ran to answer, he mid listened to the conversation before Astrid told him Broyles wanted to talk to him.

"What can I do for you, sir?"

"Agent Dunham hasn't shown up for work; Agent Farnsworth tells me she hasn't gone to the lab either."

"No, she isn't here."

"Has she contacted you?"

"No. Have you called her?"

"She is not answering her cell phone or home line." Peter panicked. A lot. As calmly as he could he started to walk towards the door, coat in hand. "I would like someone to verify her house before ordering a search."

"I'm on my way."

Peter didn't give him time to say anything else before hanging up and looking for the keys of the station wagon inside his coat.

"I'm going out." He yelled not waiting for acknowledgment form Astrid or Walter.

He practically ran to the car and dropped the keys twice before actually open the door. _She is fine, she is fine_; he kept repeating that to himself on the way to her apartment, but inside he knew something was wrong, Olivia would never miss a day of work even if she was bleeding out, she would have at least called Broyles. He tried her phone several times but Olivia didn't answer.

He parked outside her apartment building trying to remain calm, his heart was pounding on his chest, he was breathing heavily by the time he got to her door. God, he should have called her last night to check on her. He knocked on the door twice. No answer.

Peter was trying to open the door when an old lady went past him carrying a bag of groceries, eyeing him suspiciously; he smiled confidently and the lady entered her apartment probably thinking on calling the police.

He finally opened the door and cautiously entered her apartment. Everything was in order; there was no sign of struggle, nothing. He moved through the apartment looking for any signs of Olivia. Her weapon was on the table of the living room along with her badge and cell phone; she had several missed calls, probably all from him and Broyles. The stove was cold and the glasses were still in the sink. He moved further into the apartment until he got to the bedroom. Since there was no door he was afraid to look not knowing what he would find.

_Breathe Peter, just breathe._

She was there. He exhaled with relief.

Olivia was under the covers, looking peaceful, Peter approached the bed, the wooden floor cracking under his shoes, he immediately noticed the almost empty bottle of whisky and the medication flask. Shit. Something was wrong.

**********


	2. Chapter 2

Spoilers: Set after "Olivia. In the lab. With the revolver." But before "White tulip."

Disclaimer: No inFRINGEment intended. (I have always wanted to use that one.)

Author's note: A big apology in advanced because I'm sure I'm quoting somebody else's words, if anybody recognize the quotes on the chapters and can give me the author I will be really grateful.

I honestly didn't expect that kind of response to part one, I'm amazed and immensely grateful to you all for your reviews and alerts: Dana hale, oranfly, JT4Life, spark3597, Mr Super Czar, tigersbride, Ninja Bagel, TML, wjobsessed, killmotion, Elishak, Miley, gillybee, Rekka, Arctic Fox, I really hope not to disappoint you.

Again, I would like to thank babypumpink for prove read this fic, you are the best.

So, as demanded and promise, freshly out from my inbox mail, part two. Enjoy!

_**********_

_A soul mate is a person with whom one has a feeling of deep and natural affinity, love, intimacy, sexuality, spirituality, and/or compatibility. A related concept is that of the twin flame or twin soul – which is thought to be the ultimate soul mate, the one and only other half of one's soul, for which all souls are driven to find and join._

_One story about soul mate is that humans originally consisted of four arms, four legs, and a single head made of two faces, but Zeus feared their power and split them all in half, condemning them to spend their lives searching for the other half to complete them._

**********

Peter tried to wake her up, he shoke her so hard that he was sure Olivia would have bruises, but there had been no reaction. Peter called Broyles trying to explain the situation at best, she wasn't waking up, something was definitely wrong. Broyles had sent an ambulance. Peter busied himself while he waited for the ambulance looking around for clues; he took the bottle of whisky, the pills and the glass on the night table and put them inside a bag to be taken to the lab. He looked around the kitchen, her fridge was empty and the empty glasses were still pilling up on the sink, he placed those in another bag.

He didn't want to go to her room again, she was there, immobile, still; he tried not to remember the last time she had been so still (being declared death), he checked her pulse and pupils, but there was nothing he could tell from such a simple exam.

The paramedics and doctors at the ER bombarded him with questions to which he had no answers, Walter and Astrid asked too, he honestly didn't know what to tell them.

They were left waiting on the uncomfortable hospital chairs; well, not him, he kept pacing and leaning on the wall. Walter was observing the vending machine greedily, Peter ultimately handed him a few coins and Walter went on and on about the variety of snacks available; it was distracting, he knew his father was worried too.

"Olivia Dunham." A male doctor, a very young doctor was looking for them. It was history repeating itself.

_She is fine, she is fine._

"Are you Olivia Dunham's relatives?" The very young and _inexperienced_ doctor, Dr. Green, was looking at them oddly.

"Not exactly, we all work together." Peter had offered as an explanation.

"I'm sorry then, I can't give you any information. Just close family can be informed." God, he hadn't even remembered to call Rachel.

"Doctor?" Fortunately for them Broyles choose that moment to appear.

**********"

"What do you mean she is just sleeping?" They still were on the ER but Broyles had at least got them to see her. "She cannot just be sleeping; she would have woken up by now."

"We don't understand either, Mr. Bishop, her toxicology came back normal, her vital signs are normal. You said she may have taken something to sleep?" Peter nodded, he had been very vague at that point, Olivia didn't need to explain why she was taking sleeping pills and alcohol, lots of it, when she wakes up.

_Exactly, when, not if, when, focus on that Peter._

"Not even that registered on her tox screen, which means she has already metabolized whatever she took, everything appears to be normal. Has she been under stress lately?" They all looked at each other. "That may explain why she is so tired, she is just sleeping."

The doctor left shortly after that. What this joke of a doctor didn't understand, didn't know was that nothing was "just" for them, it didn't work like that. Something was up and he knew it.

**********

Broyles had returned to the federal building, he had talked to Nina Sharp, she was sending a doctor to check on Olivia. He would have to keep an eye open for that, and Peter had sent Walter and Astrid back to the lab to analyze everything he had found at her apartment. He was fairly sure she had been dosed with something because there was no way she was still peacefully sleeping at ten o' clock at night.

They had finally moved her to a room, promising to make more tests in the morning. It was useless; they wouldn't know what to look for. He could only trust Walter would find something.

**********

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay? You have been here all day." Astrid approached him, she was worried too.

"It's okay, I need you to help Walter check the things in the bags, it has to be something she drank." He didn't say eat, because honestly, he was sure Olivia hasn't eaten in days.

"Okay." Astrid placed her hand on his shoulder, he appreciated the gesture immensely; and then she started to pick up the bags while Walter drew a blood sample from Olivia.

He needed to stay, there was no way he was leaving her here alone, and he knew he would be no use at the lab, there wasn't anything that he could do that Walter wouldn't. This was where he was needed, this was his place now.

"Don't worry son, we'll find out what's wrong with Agent Dunham and then maybe you can wake her up." Walter looked suggestively at Peter. Was he implying to play prince charming to sleeping beauty?

"I don't think that's going to work Walter."

"Have you tried, already?" Walter looked at him, he was probably already naming his grandsons; he didn't know how to break the news, Olivia didn't want that kind of relationship with him.

His father went to place the sample on his chemistry kit. Peter wanted so badly to touch her.

"Oh my." Peter turned to see Walter holding the bottle of pills in his hand.

"What?"

"I gave her this, almost a year ago, they are already outdated. " He didn't know how, but suddenly he was very angry at his father, Peter took the bottle from his hand, he practically caged Walter against the wall.

"You gave her this? What did you put in them Walter?"

"Nothing, it was just to help her sleep, but it was the normal composition, I didn't add anything else, I swear." Walter looked completely terrified of him.

"Peter!" Astrid had returned to the room and was pushing him away from his father. The both looked at him. He felt hot.

"I'm sorry." Peter went to stand near Olivia's bed trying to calm down, his hands in fists while he felt all the blood in his body going to his head; he had almost attacked his father, what was wrong with him?

"Don't worry son, I will find out what happened." Walter left a very decisive look in his eyes. Astrid followed him.

It took him a while to calm down; the cold, dark room helped. He just stood there with eyes closed, between Olivia's bed and the window, listening the ambulances go by, breathing, he felt his hands stop shaking and reaching for something.

Peter looked around the room looking for what would be his bed tonight; he pulled the only chair next to the bed and sat. He wasn't tired despite the day he had, he started to look for the remote control for the TV, he turned it on but muted it. He didn't want to wake up Olivia.

"Just open your eyes Olivia, please." Peter looked to the floor, his eyes sting; he just couldn't look at her.

Maybe Walter was right and all he needed to do was kiss her; yes, because the moment he will lean to kiss her she would wake up, that curious expression in her face and ask him what the hell was he doing. Or worst, she would start reciting Greek phrases.

Peter turned in the uncomfortable plastic chair; she was still laying there, the white sheet up to her waist, and IV line on her right arm, the machines beeping indicating that there was nothing wrong with her; as the doctor said she was just sleeping.

Peter turned off the TV and completely turned the chair facing her. Gently he took her right hand in his, she was cold, he started to rub her hand between his, he reached out and pressed his hand to her cheek, she was so cold.

_What if she never wakes up?_

He froze the thought. He wasn't going to think that until Walter declared he had absolutely no idea what to do. No, she was going to wake up and she would be fine. His eyes glimmered a little in the darkness.

"Just wake up Olivia."

He fell asleep holding her hand.

**********

Coffee.

He could smell coffee.

Whispers, a woman was whispering.

Was that still in his head? He had had the weirdest dream ever.

What was he doing at the lake house?

He raised his head, which was a huge mistake because his neck was killing him. He looked around the room confused, the TV was on on the news, and he turned to the bed next.

"Olivia?"

_Wait, just wait, wait for it._

"I brought you some coffee." Astrid was on the door of the bathroom a paper towel in her hand.

"Anything?" Peter asked Astrid as she walked towards the small table on the other side of the room and retrieved the mentioned coffee along with some papers.

"Walter ran every possible test on her blood sample; we checked every glass, the pills, the whisky. Everything was fine. I brought you a copy of the results in case Walter missed something. I took him to your house, he was exhausted. He worked all night."

Peter stopped massaging his neck and took the plastic cup. He drank the coffee, feeling it going down, warming him inside, he started to read the lab results. Nothing, there was just nothing.

"Do you think it could be something on her brain?"

Peter had already diverged on the idea, but if it was her brain there had to be something that had triggered this reaction and if they hadn't found anything on the labs, it was improbable now.

"It might, but I just don't think so."

"The doctor came a while ago, they are going to take her for an MRI within the hour, and Agent Broyles called, I told him the news."

Had he slept through all that? He hadn't even heard the phone rang, he looked at Astrid, she had bags under her eyes and she was wearing the same clothes she had the day before.

"You should go home Astrid, you are tired too, let's just wait for the MRI."

"I'm not tired, why don't you go home." Sweet Astrid, she was trying to keep them all glued in place.

"It's okay Astrid," he tried to smile reassuringly, "I did sleep, you on the other hand, I don't think Walter let you crash on the couch."

They exchanged a knowing smile from two people who were used to Walter's obsessions.

"I tried calling Olivia's sister, but I haven't been able to get in touch with her."

"Maybe that's good." Peter remembered what Olivia had told him at Vitas Petrol more than a month ago, she wouldn't want Rachel and Ella worrying about her and they would get her out of this before Rachel could find out, and he wasn't very fond of the idea of Olivia waking up and admonish him for worrying her little sister.

A nurse came a while later and took Olivia to the MRI. Astrid left promising to bring Walter later. Peter went to get more coffee and by the time he returned to her room, another doctor was looking at the results.

"Excuse me..."

"Ah, Mr. Bishop, Dr. Reyes, Nina Sharp sent me." Dr. Reyes was holding the MRI results against the window; he analyzed them for a while and then returned them to their folder. Peter watched him suspiciously.

"Well?"

"Everything seems to be in order, " he was now flipping through Olivia's hospital chart, "It seems there is nothing wrong with her, but I have already asked for copies of all of her tests to be sent to Massyve Dynamic, maybe I will find something else there."

Peter felt his blood boiling again.

"I'm sorry but I think you need some kind of consent for those, and I'm not consenting." Yes, Nina Sharp and Massyve Dynamic had been very helpful but that didn't mean he had to trust them or that they didn't have ulterior motives, tests that contained Olivia's genetic information were no good in their hands.

"I'm sorry, but Miss. Sharp said there wouldn't be any inconvenient, I assumed..."

"You assumed wrongly, those exams stay here, if you want them tell Miss. Sharp to ask for them." Peter looked at Dr. Reyes as he would look at any suspect, protectiveness written all over his expression, Dr. Reyes put the chart down and left the room.

"They are not going to touch Olivia. Ever."

**********

"So, what do you want to watch, we have the news, Alias, Felicity, Lost, my god, that guy has TV monopolized." Peter turned laughing; he probably would have to explain the joke to her. She didn't watch a lot of TV. "You know that guy, he is the one..." She was still there, quiet, immobile. His sudden laughter sounded empty against the walls of her room.

After flipping through every single channel he decided to turn it off, he had left his IPod at the lab, the in turn nurse choose that moment to come and update her vitals.

"You don't have to be here all the time." Peter tried to smile to the nurse, but she didn't know that he would die if she suddenly woke up and he wasn't there. "It's very sweet, you being here for your girlfriend." He just heard the sound of the door closing.

_Girlfriend._

Peter felt the heat rising to his face; he surely was red as a beet. He tried to look at Olivia, but he ended looking to the floor. He was so embarrassed.

"I'll be back."

He practically ran out of the room and went to look for some magazines.

**********

He came back half and hour later. While looking for a magazine for Olivia_, was she an InStyle kind of girl? There was a cute blond on the cover which reminded him of her_, he decided to go and grab something to eat, he had only had coffee the whole day. A sandwich and a coke later he came back. Who was he kidding? He was just stalling. Peter literally peeked inside her room first. Okay.

"I hope you like this magazine, they didn't have _Firearms today_." He sat next to her still unable to look her in the eye.

"Okay, let's see," Peter flipped through the magazine, "you should take a look at this Olivia, it seems you have twin sisters everywhere." A bunch of blondes were all over the magazine in outfits that in Peter's mind were too exaggerated; he liked Olivia's bland suits best. "This looks nice, basic pieces for cold weather; glamorous combinations." And he started to read.

**********

Dr. Green was back. Walter, Astrid and Broyles were there too.

"Everything is clean." Peter already knew this. "We can't find anything wrong with Miss. Dunham."

They had nothing. Dr. Green looked at Peter for a second, he seemed like he was trying to decide if he should ask the next question or not. He did anyway.

"Mr. Bishop, are you sure this was an accident?" Peter looked at him.

"What are you implying?" The very small and young doctor seemed incredible nervous now.

"That maybe this isn't an accident, maybe she took something else, maybe she wanted..."

"Stop right there!" He practically screamed at the doctor, he felt Walter and Astrid place a hand in each of his arms. Peter didn't even want to hear him utter those words. Olivia wasn't trying to kill herself. There was no way that the damn doctor was thinking that because he didn't know her at all.

"I assure your Dr., Agent Dunham is not that kind of person." Broyles answered.

"I apologize for suggesting this, but I have been talking to my colleagues and that's the only logical conclusion we could reach."

"Now tell me the illogical one." Peter knew that if they had already considered anything logical they would have also considered the not probable one, which in their case would likely be the answer. The doctor looked dubious under his blue ice stare.

"We may have a theory."

Dr. "I still need to learn how to shave" had a theory?

"We think this might be psychological instead of physical. Has Miss. Dunham been under stressful situations lately?" Peter looked at everybody; they all had the same expression: _Are you kidding? stress?, that is her middle name. _

"What about the past year and a half." The doctor looked at Peter curiously. "She is an FBI Agent, she is always under stress, and what are you implying exactly?"

"That she could be unconscious because she wants to be that way. If her life and her job are as stressful as you mention, she might be feeling overwhelmed and her body is protecting her, helping her somehow to process a recent trauma, the detonator. Maybe she just doesn't want to wake up."

Those had been too many maybes, might and suspicions in general, but the doc had a point. Maybe she wasn't as over the whole Jacksonville debacle as he had thought and that was just to start: lab rat, protector of the world, and the list went on and on.

"I concur with the doctor, as Astrid told you Peter, I didn't found anything out of the ordinary on Olivia's belongings, or her blood, and I have gone through all of her studies. This is a psychological matter." Peter didn't want to agree with Walter, or the doctor, but they were right. Olivia simply didn't want to come home.

"What we would recommend in these cases would be therapy, counseling, but she is unconscious and until she can talk about what is troubling her, there is nothing we can do."

Peter looked at the bed again.

_If I could only get into that head of yours._

And just like that he had the solution.

"Oh." He heard Astrid's voice.

"Oh, my." Then was Walter.

"What?" And that was Broyles.

**********

Pretty obvious where I am going, right?


	3. Chapter 3

Spoilers: Set after "Olivia. In the lab. With the revolver." But before "White tulip."

Disclaimer: No inFRINGEment intended. (I have always wanted to use that one.)

Author's note: I don't think I have the words to express how grateful I am for all your reviews: bethechangex3, zeusfluff, Ninja Bagel, killmotion, wjobsessed, maricejayo, mustang2029, spark3597, Dana Hale, jele, jc4ever11, padmay97, JT4Life, soundless storm, and to everybody who had favorited or alerted this story, really, I so wish I could send each of you a version of Peter. :)

TANK TIME! Yes, everybody guessed right, so, I really hope this chapter doesn't disappoint you.

I want to thanks babypumpking again for proof read this fic; you would be reading gibberish if it wasn't for her.

Enjoy!

_Have you ever been in love? Horrible isn't it? It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens up your heart and it means that someone can get inside you and mess you up. You build up all these defenses, you_

_build up a whole suit of armor, so that nothing can hurt you, then one stupid person, no different from any other stupid person, wanders into your stupid life...You give them a piece of you. They didn't ask for it. They did something dumb one day, like kiss you or smile at you, and then your life isn't your own anymore._

_- Neil Gaiman_

"It is a bit complicated to explain, but basically what will happen is that someone will connect to Olivia through a dream like state."

"And how are you planning on doing that Dr. Bishop?" Broyles was driving, taking all them back to the lab; Peter was with Olivia in the ambulance that was following them.

The hospital had been reluctant to discharge Olivia without the signature of a relative, but Broyles had been very persuasive.

"Well, a combination of a variety of drugs will be necessary, drugs I'll rather be taking myself, then this person will get into the tank, with a probe attached to their neck. We will have to wait until both of their brain patterns get to the same level and voila! I forgot you have never been in the lab for this before Agent Broyles."

Broyles looked at Walter authentically worried.

"You have done this before?" He looked in the review mirror to Astrid who was sitting on the back seat.

"Yes, sir."

"Was it Agent Dunham?"

"Yes, sir. That was how she connected with Agent Scott."

Broyles knew that Olivia had done something highly unethical and dangerous around those days, when he didn't know her well, but he hadn't know the enormity of it. He found himself respecting her even more.

"And who might be this person who is to connect with Agent Dunham?"

Oh, Oh.

Peter felt the ambulance moving, bumping at every hole and turn they take. The paramedic was looking at him; a mixture of pity and sympathy in his eyes. He was trying very hard to not reach for Olivia's hand.

"_Sit down." _

"_I'm fi...ouch."_

"_It's just ice." Peter placed the towel on top of her head. "Hold it there." _

_He returned to the kitchen to get her a glass of water and a couple of aspirin, even if he tried he knew he would never convince her to go to the hospital. He was about to grab a glass on the kitchen cabinet when he noticed the many tumblers on her sink. She had been drinking again. He felt very angry at her all of a sudden._

_Why the hell does she neglect to take care of herself? She was important too._

_**Yeah, you go on ahead and try to tell her that.**_

_Olivia saw him from the couch making that exasperated face. She didn't want to have this conversation now._

_**Please, everything is all right.**_

_He filled the glass and went looking for the aspirin._

"_Where do you keep the aspirin?" He asked in a less pleasant tone that he wanted to, he looked at Olivia daring her to say she was alright._

"_Bathroom." _

_Peter crossed the apartment towards the bathroom, stomping all the way, taking in every detail, half empty boxes that he hadn't noticed before, dust on top of everything, the bed hasn't been slept on. He opened the bathroom cabinet and grabbed the aspirin knocking another flask of pills on the way._

_He returned to the living room and handed her the aspirin, she took it without complain. Peter started to pick up things from the floor in which we should call "taking it out on the files."_

"_You don't have to do that Peter, I'll clean up later."_

_Peter glared at Olivia from his spot on the floor, his eyes turned that liquid blue, softening his stare, they held each other's gaze, her eyes were emerald green; she could see he was worried, Peter could see the plea in her eyes._

_**Don't ask, please or I just might blurt it out.**_

_**You are a mess Olivia, Why? What's wrong? **_

_Peter left her apartment soon after that._

He should have never left.

"No, I won't allow it."

"Walter, I'm not asking for your permission."

"I won't help then."

"Really? Ok, then I would have to go over all the calculations myself, Astrid will help me." Peter looked at Astrid who was currently hiding with Gene. She returned the look like saying "Don't get me in the middle of this, please."

"No, she won't."

Peter pinched the bridge of his nose again. They've been having this stupid discussion for over an hour, since Broyles had gone back to the federal building. He hadn't looked very confident about what they were going to do, but of course if he wasn't there to witness it, technically he wouldn't know about it.

He wasn't going to let Walter stop him, not now that he knew what he had to do, that he had an objective. No, he would get in the tank and into her mind and drag her back if it was necessary. He could live with her yelling at him later, when she was awake.

"Then I'll ask Broyles to send someone, you are not stopping me Walter." Walter was pacing around the lab, very nervous, the fingers on his left hand shaking.

"It is too dangerous son, you could die!"

"So, what you are saying is that is too dangerous but still it was okay for Olivia to do it, but I can't? That's not fair Walter." They still were in the middle of the lab arguing, Peter walking from one side to the other, as if he was putting some kind of distance between him and Olivia, and suddenly remembering he didn't want that and going to her side again. Astrid had never seen him look so much like his father.

"I don't care about fair, Peter; you are not going to do it!" Peter was starting to lose his patience. They were losing time, Olivia status could change any minute and Walter was stopping him with technicalities. No.

"You never tried to stop her Walter, never!" Peter was shouting again, Astrid was ready to interfere if needed.

"I advised her of the risks every time she went in, she wanted to do it!"

"I want to do it Walter, and I'm aware of the risks!"

"It was necessary for her to get answers!"

"And it is necessary for me to get her out of there!"

"No!"

"Walter!"

"You are my son!"

Peter stopped. He looked at his father; it was that, he knew it was because of that. Walter wouldn't do it because he was worried something would happen to him.

"Walter," Peter approached him placing both hands on his father's shoulders, "nothing is going to happen to me, you have done this several times and nothing has ever gone wrong. We can do this Walter." Walter still looked doubtful. "We owe her this Walter, you owe her this." Peter didn't want to enumerate the reasons why, he didn't want to turn bitter against his father right now. _Please Walter, don't make me use that argument, please. _

"And she would do it for any of us."

Walter looked to the floor and Peter had the strange feeling that there was something else he was missing.

"Is there anything else you are not telling me Walter?" Peter went eye level with Walter, looking into his eyes for an answer to a question he didn't even know he had to ask.

"No." Walter turned to look at Olivia on the gurney attached to every monitor they could find, and the only thing he would think about was how there was no way Peter would go into Olivia's head and don't find about their secret, how the moment they both would wake up, assuming they didn't die during the process, his son would disappear from his life, but if he didn't do this Peter would find a way to do it, if he didn't do it this would open another wound in their recovering relationship, he didn't want that. His son would never forgive him.

"All right." And he left without a word to go and make some LSD.

Peter was left standing there, a thank you ready to roll out his tongue, but Walter was already on the other side of the lab.

There was a strange energy in the lab; Astrid could almost taste the tension in the air. Peter was worrying because it was taking too long, Walter was worrying about Peter, and something else he wasn't saying, and she was worrying for everything else.

She was cleaning the filaments on the probe, preparing the rest of the syringes. Peter was next to Olivia holding her hand, rubbing it again for warm, he looked determined now that he knew what he had to do. Astrid looked the other way when she saw Peter lean and place a kiss on Olivia's forehead. He whispered something in her ear she didn't catch, and then he put her hand beneath the thick blanket he had placed over her earlier.

She was so glad they were there for each other.

Astrid knew Olivia had been hurt, she had been there, but this was Peter, who would gladly go into a rusty tank of water, drugged to the gills to get her back to the land of the living; exactly what she had done for John Scott.

This was basically a proclamation of love in Olivia Dunham's book, and after all this she won't be able to deny it.

Astrid approached the tank carrying a tray full of syringes, Peter was already half undressed and about to take off his jeans when she thought about how grateful she was that she only thought about him as an older brother.

She would later reprimand herself for her next comment, but now he needed to know.

"This... what you are doing for her..." Astrid couldn't continue, she left the sentence hanging in the air. Peter looked at her, his eyes were that shade of blue he saved for looking at Olivia, a million different emotions passing through his eyes.

"She would do it for me. She has saved me in so many ways." It was a big confession coming from Peter. He never talked about his feelings or himself. That's the only way she would later excuse herself for what she was about to say.

"I know she loves you as much as you do." Peter looked at her in shock. "You are not as inconspicuous as you think you are, neither is she. I can tell." Astrid had the most compassionate expression on her face.

"I'm going to apply the anesthetic Peter." Peter didn't have more time to reply to either sentence, he felt the pinch on his neck. That hadn't been so bad.

"This would hurt a bit more." He braced himself for the pain, but really nothing could prepare him for this.

!"%$#&/=?%¡)/%"!=(&$

God that had hurt more than that shot he received in Iraq. How could Olivia stand it? He understood something even clearer than before, she was a very strong person.

Walter and Astrid applied the rest of the drugs and he slowly started to get a bit dizzy. He remembered himself being on the other side of the treatment just after he met Olivia. At that time he hadn't understood how she could do this, get drugged by a man he barely knew and go into the tank to do the impossible (she always could do the impossible), in his experience no person was worth the risk she was taking, not then, but now Peter completely understood why she did what she did.

_I hope your guy is worth it._

_She was worth it._

He felt arms around him helping him get into the tank, before he went in he took a last glance at Olivia.

_Wait._

"Be careful there son." He felt Walter squeezing his forearm.

Oookaaayyyy.

This is not what he expected.

Olivia had always described this dreamscape as weird, incomplete, inconsistent, this was none of it. He knew he was still inside the tank, floating in brine like a turkey the day before thanksgiving, the problem was that his perception must be incredibly off. He could not hear Walter at all and what he had in front of him had appeared the moment he felt himself losing on the drugs.

The lake house.

The only odd thing was that the location had changed; it was in the middle of a forest, as it had changed locations to Seattle.

Peter walked cautiously looking everywhere and entered the house; it still smelled like the sea. The decoration was off, a mixture of the house he shared with Walter and Olivia's apartment: the clock on top of the fireplace from her apartment, the piano from the lab, his favorite cup on the dinning room table; he kept going through the house; the hallway next to the stairs was full of pictures of them, none he recognized and just one where they were together that looked very similar to one Walter had taken them on the lab months ago.

He was examining the picture when a cluttering of plates surprised him from the kitchen.

Peter advanced carefully, not knowing what he would find.

She was there. He felt his breath caught in his throat.

The sight was glorious. Olivia was over the stove stirring something in total concentration, the sunlight coming in through the windows wrapping her in a halo. Her clothes were so different, a blue dress that stopped at her knees, she was barefoot and her hair was down with waves he had never seen in it, her strikingly brown hair. She looked so much like his mother.

She was there, alive, breathing, awake, cooking and signing a song he had played for her once.

_Was this heaven? Was he dead already? _

"Hey. What are you doing here so early?" He couldn't stop himself from staring at her, why was she so different? Olivia stopped what she was doing and walked to him noticing his confusion. Her hands went directly to his cheeks. Her eyes were so bright. "Hey, is everything okay? You look a bit pale."

Peter could only concentrate on the feeling of her hands. They were warm. His eyes were still on hers.

"I'm okay." He swallowed that lump in his throat. "What are you cooking?"

"Your favorite, Bolognese." Olivia still seemed to be analyzing him, turning her head from one side to the other with that deep concentration stare. That's when he noticed the biggest difference: green, pure green, no sadness, not a trace of the weight of the world over her shoulders.

_Was this Olivia before he met her? Had she ever been this free, this content? _

"It's not ready yet; you weren't supposed to be here for another hour. Why don't you go and play something for me? I still have to prepare something else. It's a surprise."

Olivia withdrew her hands and Peter missed the touch immediately. She took one step and then turned completely and kissed him.

It was as if heaven had opened... sweet and intense, intimate and soft... Olivia.

_God, he was missing this! Was this what he was supposed to experience three weeks ago in New York? _

Olivia withdrew again to go tend the food on the stove.

He was too shocked to process. He went and sat at the piano to play as she asked him out of instinct; he didn't understand what was happening here. He let his fingers hit the keys while he tried to figure out the whole thing, but he saw the picture.

The only other framed picture with both of them; he was hugging her from behind on a garden, under a cherry tree, she was wearing a white dress and he a black suit without the tie. Peter stopped playing and took the picture; he then saw the ring on his right hand.

They were married.

Peter felt a burst of happiness in the middle of his chest, a smile spreading over his face. Olivia had created this world in her mind and he was here, he was her husband.

_Speed dial 3? No way._

"Dinner is ready." She came into the room holding two plates that she put on the floor on the checkered blanket he hadn't noticed. Peter stood up from the piano. He covered the distance between them in two strides and then he was holding her again, kissing her like there was no tomorrow. She returned the kiss as hungrily as he had; he let her go because he was running out of oxygen. Peter looked into her eyes.

_Love, pure love._

"Let's eat."

"Walter, what's wrong? Why is it taking so long?" They were monitoring Peter and Olivia, Peter had matched her brainwaves almost an hour ago, but they didn't seem to be waking up anytime soon.

"I don't know Astrid, I don't know."

"That was delicious."

Olivia stood up from the blanket and picked up the plates. Peter followed her into the kitchen were she loaded the dishwasher. It was so weird, a normal Olivia, doing normal things, not trying to save the world because the world didn't need saving. It was perfect just the way it was.

"I have a surprise for you." Olivia leaned on the kitchen cabinet looking at him suggestively.

"So you said."

"C'mon, this way."

She took his hand and led him upstairs. He kept looking around; it was familiar and strange at the same time. When they got upstairs, she led him to what it used to be his room and slowly opened the door, a 1000 watts smile on her face.

The room had been just painted, it still smelled fresh, different shades of green, but the furniture was what really struck him. There was a rocking chair and a crib.

A sob formed on his throat and his eyes got glassy.

God, he wanted to cry.

"Congratulations daddy."

"Peter can you hear me?" Walter had been trying, but there was no answer from Peter.

"Wherever they are, he is getting as caught up as Olivia. We need to pull him out now."

Peter was trying to take everything in. They were married and Olivia was pregnant. Everything so perfect.

He could feel Olivia next to him.

"Peter, are you all right?" She was looking at him, concern all over her face.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You just caught me by surprise." Peter caught her into his arms. "I'm so happy."

Olivia laughed in his ear.

She had distracted him so well.

How could he shatter this perfect world she had constructed? He didn't want to burst her bubble, but he needed to. This wasn't real. If he wanted this with Olivia some day and if she wanted it too, he needed to take her back to the real world.

_I'm so sorry Olivia._

He closed his eyes in regret, clinging to her. Olivia immediately tensed in his arms

"What's wrong?"

"We need to go, Olivia."

The lights flickered around them.

"Where? We are home."

"Back to Boston." Neither of them moved. The lights flickered again and then they went out leaving them in darkness.

"Peter, please don't do this. Please." She closed her eyes against his shoulders. Peter could hear the pleas in her voice and felt the tears leaving her eyes. Her hair was turning blonde in his hands.

"I'm sorry Olivia, but we can't stay here."

"I can."

And then Peter felt like he was being pulled out of the house.


	4. Chapter 4: M

Spoilers: Set after "Olivia. In the lab. With the revolver." But before "White tulip."

Disclaimer: No inFRINGEment intended. (I have always wanted to use that one.)

Author's note: I'm really dying of happinness here, thank you, thank you, thank you! Really, I feel overwhelmed by your reviews and continuous support, thanks to: wjobsessed, bethechangex3, Ninja Bagel, ShowMeWhatI'mLookingFor, zeuzfluff, eaglegirl1202, Calmb4theStorm15, spark3597, Ocein, Dana Hale, obsessed1294, TML, WhiteRose621, JT4life, opicool (Thank you, I really didn't deserve that review), lexatwilightlover21, Loona127, I just don't know how to thank you anymore, and most of all thanks to babypumpkin for proofreading this fic, she has been an angel, so any extra mistakes are mine. And an apology too, she send me the file yesterday and I fully intended to update yesterday but real life got in the way, so apologies for keep you waiting.

NOW, this is M or NC-17, only this chapter (runs and hide behind the computer red as a beet), is the first time I wrote anything like this so I hope is not horrible, so, you have been warned. I hope you l ike and enjoy!

The truth will set you free. But first it will make you miserable.

"Why the hell did you pull me out? I had her." Peter was still shaking under the blankets Astrid had put around his shoulders, he still felt light headed.

"Your vitals started to go up and down like a rollercoaster. I'm sorry but if I had let you in there you would have gone into cardiac arrest." Walter was talking to him in that weird tone of authority figure.

"Peter you had been there for almost six hours, you weren't answering. We had to pull you out." Astrid was taking Walter's side this time, well not so much as taking his side, more like rationalizing with him.

"I'm sorry, you're right." Both Wallter and Astrid looked genuinly concerned and he really had been in there for a lot longer than Olivia had ever been.

"What happened?" Walter was next to Olivia checking her vitals.

"She distracted me. It wasn't as Olivia described it. She's created this whole new world inside her head. You were right, this is something psychological; she just doesn't want to wake up."

Peter looked at Olivia. Walter said she started to slip away, she was dangerously close to going into a coma, if he was going back in he would only have a chance to bring her back.

"What do you mean she created a whole world in there?"

"She created this life in her head. I don't know if I would call it her perfect life, just something to protect herself. There was nothing there which reminded her of us, Boston, she supressed anything that could harm her."

Walter looked pensive.

"What?"

"It could be the cortexiphan giving her the ability to change her reality, her perception of it. She had never done that."

"I need to get back in. I almost got her."

"Peter..." Walter tried to interrupt him.

"No Walter, we've already had this discussion." Peter looked at his father with all the authority he could muster, which wasn't much, because he was still shivering and only wearing his underwear. It sounded more like a plea.

Please, Walter, I can't leave her there alone.

"It will have to be tomorrow, you need to rest." Walter turned taking off his lab coat and walking towards the door.

"I'll take him home, you are staying, right?" Astrid asked.

"Yes."

Astrid stopped at the door, her hand on the handle. She turned to look at him, "He is just worried Peter."

"I know."

And he was left alone in the lab.

Peter was lying down on the couch, blankets all around him; he still was terribly cold from the tank. He was facing the heart monitor, seeing the ups and downs of her heart, the beeping being the only sound around him.

He couldn't sleep.

Who could after what he just saw?

He could still feel her lips on his.

Was that what she wanted? Familiy, children, a normal life, him?

Why had he given her a way out from their almost kiss? Why? But most importantly, why had she taken it? If she wanted what he saw, why take the way out?

This is what she does Peter, she doesn't want to get burned again.

Yes, he knew, but still; now he could almost feel tangible love in his arms, but it still was like trying to catch smoke with bare hands.

I just want to go back to before, he heard her say that once. He longed to give her before, before the world went to hell, before when she didn't have to carry the weight of the world in her shoulders, when everything was okay and normal, or at least she didn't know it was not okay and normal. But he couldn't, and yet, he didn't know if he really would grant her her wish, before for him meant so many different things, not knowing her, no Walter, no family. He didn't want before, but right now they didn't have after, they were just stuck at now.

She was stuck there, in this perfect world she created. She had removed anything that had hurt her, there was no Walter, no FBI, no John Scott, no dead Charlie, nothing, just perfect happiness. It still was a comfort that maybe she was doing this because of Jacksonville; however for him, he looked to the darkness for comfort.

He still heard the faint sound of her heart, while he drifted off to sleep.

"Yes, I understand."

"What's wrong?" Astrid could recognize that expression anywhere. Trouble was on the way.

"I knew it; I knew Nina Sharp wanted something else." Peter threw his cellphone on the table with a lot more resentment than the device deserved. "That was Broyles; Nina is trying to contact Rachel for permission to take Olivia to Massive Dynamic." His blood was boiling.

"They can't do that! Can they?"

"No, but she is saying that if we can't do anything, she might be able to help. Rachel is going to take her up on her offer for sure; this is her sister we are talking about." Peter knew that if anybody, especially Nina Sharpe, got in touch with Rachel and told her of Olivia's situation she wouldn't hesitate, Olivia was everything that Rachel had. She would make a wrong choice out of love.

"Astrid, I need you to get a hold of Rachel before Nina does." Astrid nodded.

Peter was going in again, he needed to get Olivia out before Massive Dynamics could get their clawy hands on their only known Cortexiphan kid, and before she slipped into a coma. Walter had informed him that Olivia was slipping further and further, and in a couple of hours not even the tank would be an option.

"Before you pinch me with that thing you need to promise Walter?"

"Peter, please, don't, I can't"

"Promise Walter, not matter how long it takes or how bad, you are going to keep me in the tank until she wakes up." He knew his argument would be a lot better if he was still fully clothed.

"You are too important Peter, you can't die."

"I won't die Walter, I promise, I will come back with her. I just can't let her alone."

Peter could see the wheels spinning inside Walter's head, thinking a way out. He just couldn't find any. Walter looked at him resigninly and nodded.

"I promise."

This time before getting into the tank, Walter hugged him desperately, but he was determined to not say goodbye. He was coming back.

He felt like he was fighting a mass of black matter fuzzing his head, stopping him from going through. Peter opened his eyes, trying to focus on the object in front of him; he was lying down on the sand, he blinked a few times, Peter tried getting up and looking around. The landscape was different, the house had returned to its place next to the lake. He stood up and ran towards the house, the sand prickling his feet.

He entered the house in a hurry, screaming her name, and he saw everything had changed. It was as Walter and he had found it months before; dust everywhere, the furniture all over the place, it looked more like a warehouse than anything else, the air felt heavy on his lungs.

He had cracked her world. I'm so sorry Olivia.

Peter went around the house frantically looking for her, he climbed the stairs and checked every room; he finally found her in his old room, hugging her knees sitting on the floor, her face down, her hair had gone completely blonde again, she was dressed all in black wearing one of her suits, her eyes closed.

"What are you doing here?" Olivia asked in a whisper.

"I came for you." Peter approached slowly and knelt in front of her. He placed a hand on her shoulder, reaching for her hair.

"Leave me alone Peter, I want to stay here." She had no shoes on. She looked so small, so broken.

"Look at me Olivia, just open your eyes." She didn't move an inch, he dragged his hand under her chin and raised her face, and she was there again, sinking eyes and the weight of the world on her shoulders.

Peter was about to say something but Olivia practically lunched at him and crushed her lips to his. She kissed him which such passion, such abandonment that he felt himself starting to get lost in the emotions, effectively distracting him; Peter started to respond to her kiss, Olivia was pulling him with her to the floor. He opened his eyes.

"Stop it Olivia. This is not right." He tried to put some distance bewteen them but Olivia was gripping the collar of his jacket, her eyes were becoming liquid green and a tear rolled down her face. He reached out for her cheek, resting his hand there, his eyes questioned her.

"What's wrong Olivia? Tell me, why are you doing this?"

The tears started to flow, like shooting stars.

"It just hurts too much."

"What Olivia, what?"

She shook her head back and forth, he held her face in both his hands, like he had done at the hospital months before, she feel as fragil as then, as desperate to grasp something to hold on. He held her eyes.

"Make it go away, please."

"No, this is not the answer Olivia, running and hiding is not going to help you, I, I... just don't understand." He said in a desperate tone.

"Please, just make it go away, it hurts too much." She kept repeating the same phrase, she sounded so much like Walter.

"I know, I know." Peter didn't know what else to do, so he held her, her sobs shaking her body. He could hear the echo of her pain in the house, her tears on his chest through his shirt. It hurt him, too. He didn't know what to do.

Through the darkness Olivia looked at him, there was something very weird in her eyes.

"Olivia, What is it?"

"I don't want you to go. I don't want you to leave me."

"I'm not going anywhere," he said as it was the most ridiculous thing in the word.

Was that it? She was afraid of him leaving? Why would he do that?

Olivia was still clinging to him; it seemed she just wanted to know he was here. She needed proof he wasn't leaving, maybe if he could give her that she would go back with him home.

He looked down, to her red rimmed eyes, pools of sorrow; he hesitated two milimiters to her mouth and kissed her. He closed his eyes trying to feel her. There was so much more longing than before, Olivia put her hands behind his head erasing any space between them. He had no problem with that, he didn't need air, she was his air.

She was lying down on the floor, pulling him with her, and an alarm sounded in the back of his head. This was still not real, even if this was all in their heads or not, he was taking advantage of her.

"No." Not like this, not here, he wanted it to be real, not this twisted version of reality, but when he looked down into her eyes and he could she was completely broken.

His mind said no, but his body was reacting.

He stopped completely still above her, holding his weight with his arms, Olivia tried talking but there was no words.

Peter had imagined this so many times, even before New York, because he had fallen in love with her way before that. He couldn't stop it. He knew after her accident, by the time he rose that third or was it fourth glass of whiskey, when he saw his reflection on the bar mirror, that he was lost because she wasn't there anymore. That by the time he went to the hospital to say goodbye to her, that he loved her, he couldn't tell the exact time or moment, he didn't hear violins playing in the bakcground or saw her engulfed in a halo of light, but he knew that somewhere between Iraq and Boston he had fallen in love with her. That's why he was here now, trying to get her back, to take her to that future she seemed to want, he closed the distance and kissed her, crushing his lips to hers.

He let his hands roam freely around her body, her moanings just encouraing him more. He started moving his way down, kissing her neck, her ear, her shoulder.

Peter heard a whisper. "Make love to me Peter."

He rose from the floor slowly never taking her eyes away from her, he pulled her up with both his hands and cornered her against the bed, he lost himself on the feeling of her lips, grabbing fistfuls of her hair. Olivia started to remove his jacket, and he prayed for Walter or Astrid to not be watching or hearing this, because it was about to get very vocal.

The jacket fell to the floor. She removed his shirt while she was placing kisses on his chest, every one making him feel as if an electrical current was going through him. He slid off her suit jacket and unbuttoned her blouse dropping it to the floor too. The kissing went on, he reached for the clasp of her bra, puliing each strap down, it felt to the floor too. He grabbed each breast, kissing it, and Olivia moaned, the sound went north on his body. She was kissing his neck, disheveling his hair. Their pants were gone next, pilling up with the rest of their clothes on the floor.

They were naked, not just from clothes, but their souls were naked. He laid her down on the bed, never taking his eyes off hers. He placed a hand on her stomach and it was like touching her for the first time. He went down with her, kissing and roaming. He wanted to explore her body inch by inch, erase any pain, any scar, he wanted to take her back untouched by grief.

Another whisper.

"Love me Peter, please love me."

Olivia guided him inside her, a sound escaped his throat when he slid in, Olivia let a breath out, he stopped for a moment when he was all the way in. They were both gasping for air, their hearts beating in their chests. God, was this what heaven felt like; he inside her, feeling complete and in place for once. He looked down and saw the greenest, brightest eyes ever, tears were going down, and he understood because he felt like crying himself.

Olivia was beneath him, him inside her, her arms on her sides, and she uttered the sweetest words ever.

"I love you."

Peter felt his heart explode, his lips trembled, and a gasp escaped his throat.

"I love you too."

He moved in her, and she moved against him, so slow... gentleness in every touch. Olivia whimpered with every thrust, louder and louder, which encouraged him more, he was doing this to her. His eyes never leaving hers. His name left her mouth many times. Olivia put her hands around his neck pulling him closer, every molecule of each other touching. You couldn't tell where one ended and the other began. He thrust harder and faster, Olivia bit his lips trying to not scream, but he wanted her to scream, wanted to hear his name on her lips.

She arched her back and he lost himself inside her, he screamed her name too.

Their breaths mixed together trying to calm down, he didn't move an inch, he never wanted to be out of her. He wanted to stay here and protect her and make her happy for the rest of her life.

Olivia was still clutching him. He was never going to let her go.

"I love you."

Astrid was for any means trying to calm Walter down, but not even she was calmed. It had been eight hours now, Olivia's vitals were going up and down, she was so close to cardiac arrest, and Peter's blood pressure went crazy every few minutes.

There was a sudden synchronized activity and Walter ran towards the monitors.

"What is it, Walter?"

Walter smiled. "They are all right now; it won't be long now Asterix. I think he has her."

Astrid looked at the monitors and could perfectly hear Peter say I love you.

Peter felt her moving in his arms, whimpering in her sleep, trying to break free. He turned and looked at her, she had tears in her eyes. Peter took one of her hands in his and Olivia quieted down. He had been doing this for what felt like hours now. He just didn't know how long had he been in the tank. She woke up a few minutes later looking terrible sad.

"You were crying." He said as a way of explanation for his hand to be on her face.

Olivia untangled from him, turning and going out of bed, she started to get dressed. It was Olivia again. She offered not explanation as she left the room; he could hear her going down the stairs and out of the house.

Not even in wonderland could he change the fact tha Olivia was running away from him, but it didn't matter anyway, he knew this was just fantasy and it was time to go back.

He got dressed, the hole in his chest feeling bigger and bigger with every button he closed. He went down the stairs and looked through the living room window. She was there, sitting on the sand next to the lake, the breeze playing with her hair. It was time and he knew it.

Peter got out of the house, the sand felt like paper under his bare feet; he reached her and sat down next to her.

"You scared me."

"I just needed to get out, I was feeling crowded." Olivia kept lookig at the waves. Her voice was soft when she talked. "I don't think I can... everybody is gone,.. I just..." She seemed ready to cry again.

"I am here." Olivia turned and faced him, taking his face in her hands like she had done before, she looked into his eyes.

"You are going to leave me too eventually." He felt his heart break, if she couldn't believe what he was saying, then what. "Everybody keeps leaving me."

Where was this coming from? Why did she keep thinking he was going to leave her?

"I won't, I promise, I'll be here for you. Always."

She let go of his face and returned to observe the waves.

"Just hold me." Peter got closer and pulled her into his arms. It was now or never.

"You can't stay here forever Olivia." Peter felt everything changing suddenly, the sky had gone form pure blue to an angry cloudy grey sky, the lake had disappeared, and in its place was a desert.

"I just want the pain to stop, make it go away, please."

"You have always been strong, you can outlast this Olivia." Whatever this was he just didn't care anymore, if it was him leaving, or the weight of everything coming to her or whatever, he would be there for her.

The house was dissapearing, he could hear thunders, and the landscape changed again, a dark forest with very tall trees. Her hair was a mess from the wind, an unnatural wind that was leaving him deaf.

She looked at him, big tears down her eyes.

"Promise me, promise me you won't go, you won't leave me, you won't run when you find out."

"Find out what?"

"Promise it, please"

He was running out of time and if Walter pulled him out this time there was no guarantee he could come back and find her, it was her or whatever truth he wasn't suppoused to find out.

"I promise." He had Olivia's face in his hands, the wind was getting worse, the darkness engulfing them, big raindrops were soaking them, he held Olivia crying on his chest.

"Take me out of here." She sounded so resigned.

"Just hold on tight."

He woke up inside the tank, shivering and breathing rapidly.

"Walter, get me out of here."

Two seconds later, Astrid and Walter were opening the door of the tank and helping him get out.

"Did it work? Did it work?" He was shaking while Astrid tried to covering him with a blanket.

"Yes, yes! She is out. Her vital signs are coming back to normal. She is waking up." Peter tried to go to her but he felt like he was going to fall, as if the floor was pulling him, but Peter didn't stop moving. Astrid looked at him with some kind of understanding shinning in her eyes and slowly helped him walk towards Olivia, the robe barely covering him, he grabbed Olivia's hands in his and she opened her eyes.

"Hey." His eyes were that shade of blue that could only be called his. "Are you okay?"

Olivia looked confused from one side to the other and then to their joined hands.

"What happened?"


	5. Chapter 5

Spoilers: Set after "Olivia. In the lab. With the revolver." But before "White tulip."

Disclaimer: No inFRINGEment intended. (I have always wanted to use that one.)

Author's note: Last part guys! I want to thank again everyone who reviewed, favorited or alerted this story, you have saved a part of me, thank you for taking the trip with me.

And thank you to the wonderful babypumpkin, really, this would have been a mess if it hadn't been for you.

_Bottom line is, even if you see 'em coming, you're not ready for the big moments. No one asks for their life to change, not really. But it does. So what are we, helpless? Puppets? No. The big moments are gonna come. You can't help that. It's what you do afterwards that counts. That's when you find out who you are._

They were both sitting on the gurney, Olivia still in her hospital gown and Peter still on his underwear and blanket, their bare feet were hanging from the side of the gurney. Olivia was dangling her feet in a very playful manner.

Peter watched her, she had that curious expression on her face, looking and analyzing, but she seemed calmer somehow, not as crushed as she had been since her car accident, and she had the shadow of a smile on her lips. This was Olivia when he met her; still able to smile despite the circumstances. She hadn't smiled in months.

"What?" She was now studying him; Peter clutched the blanket tighter and looked at the floor.

"Nothing."

She didn't remember.

Anything. The house, the freshly painted room, them kissing, he inside of her. Nothing.

Peter felt the color raising to his face and looked the other way, he couldn't look at her without remembering her dilated pupils, the nakedness behind her eyes... he was going to have a very bad couple of months pretending this hadn't happened, because there was no way he could tell her, no way.

If he did, it would be something like _"Hey, Olivia, do you want some coffee, oh, and by the way we had sex in our heads",_ yeah that would turn out just right; no, he wouldn't do it, not because he wouldn't want to deal with the consequences, but because she wouldn't. It would make them uncomfortable, she would run and hide or avoid it completely; that was what Olivia did. They both said it in the car, neither wanted to jeopardize this family dynamic they have going on now, of course that had been him giving her a way out, and yet, he wasn't telling her this. It would make too much damage.

He still could feel the lingering touch of her lips on his as it was fire.

"Here." Astrid approached giving each a cup of steaming tea, Peter made a face. "Walter said no caffeine."

"Thank you Astrid." Olivia sipped her tea and concentrating on the dangling tag.

"Everything seems to be in order." Walter walked towards them, papers in hands. He looked relieved that they were both awake, but his eyes looked haunted and his shoulders were on the floor. "Both your exams show that you are clean, there are no signs of secondary effects. It appears you are going to be just fine."

Walter looked at the floor avoiding Peter's gaze.

Why don't I remember Walter? I can't even remember how I got like this in the first place." Walter's eyes lightened for a second, was he relieved?

"Well, the doctor at the hospital said your condition might be psychological, your mind protecting you from a severe shock, shutting your body down so you could process it."

"Severe shock?" Olivia looked around the room at them, confusing in her eyes. "But I'm fine."

The three of them looked at her in complete disbelieve.

"What?" Of course, she said she didn't remember.

Peter didn't want to address that part of the story; it would make her too uncomfortable.

"You didn't show up for work and Broyles called, so I went to your apartment," Olivia made that thing with her mouth understanding why they would jump to the conclusion that there was something wrong, "I found you asleep." Peter hesitated before continuing but held her stare, "there was a bottle of outdated sleeping pills and a bottle of whisky next to your bed, that's how I knew something was wrong."

"Oh." _So there was something bothering me, _Olivia thought, but what could possibly push her so far? Yes, the war was coming, yes, that guy had attacked her, but she had faced worse before and she had responsibilities, she wouldn't run because of stress. "It makes no sense, I wouldn't do that." Peter let a breath out, so he was right, it had been just a mistake.

"Aren't you remembering any of this?" Astrid asked her.

Olivia focused on the wall in front of her, really trying to remember, an image crossed her mind so quickly that she couldn't tell if it was an actual memory.

"You," she turned to Peter, her brows knit in concentration "shaking me, telling me to wake up? Something about twin sisters?"

Peter's eyes opened like saucers lightening up. She had heard him. Beneath all that silence and unconsciousness he had reached her somehow. _Nice._

"Yeah, that was me." He suddenly felt very pleased with himself.

"You might remember later Olivia, and about your experience in the tank I have no idea, you should remember. You always have."

All three of them turned to look at Peter. He knew he would eventually have to explain.

"I don't really remember much. It was like you had described it before, incomplete images that didn't make sense, really, I don't remember." Peter had to recall all his conman skills to look at Olivia and make her believe that what he was saying was the truth. Apparently it worked. Her expression softened.

"Are you sure you are all right? You keep shivering." Olivia placed her hand on his shoulder in a gesture that tried to convey gratitude, a flow of images went through Peter's eyes, he stilled, trying not to shrug her hand of his shoulder, he couldn't bare her touch right now. Olivia saw the shift in his eyes and withdrew her hand.

"I'm fine; I really can't understand how you do this. I feel as if someone is hammering my head."

"I know, but it always goes away with what Walter gives me." Olivia looked at Walter, a smile on her face. Walter immediately noticed something missing, like she didn't remember, "But if you were inside that long that water must be freezing."

"And you know how much I love cold." Peter smiled, looking inside his tea cup. Olivia gave a look to Walter and Astrid and they went to pack everything up.

"Peter..." He knew what was coming and he didn't need to hear it.

"It's okay Olivia; you would have done the same for any of us."

"You shouldn't have done it, it was dangerous."

"Well, next time you go in the tank I'll tell you that." He actually smiled at her.

Olivia closed and opened her mouth several times. She seemed to be looking for the right words, because both knew, what he had done, meant so much more.

"Thank you." Olivia finally said.

"Don't mention it." And he meant it, _really don't mention it again Olivia or we would have to go into why did I really do it._ He got up and started to get dressed, but he stopped, actually curious now.

"What was it Olivia?" He didn't look at her.

"What?"

"If what happened to you wasn't physical but psychological the logical question is, what is it?" He wanted to know, he needed to know, because what happened was big. What he had seen... that part of Olivia had been broken by something, her unconscious knew it, and he had a bad feeling that it had to do with him, which would explain that sudden urge to make him promise to stay. It hadn't been what he would call normal, even for them.

"Honestly, I don't know. I just remember I went to sleep and then waking up here, what I told you before, but nothing apart from that." Olivia looked at him shrugging her shoulders, that weird expression she used to wear all the time Walter tried to explain something to her, but it was there, honesty, he could say she really didn't remember anything. His life just became twenty times more depressing. The best sex in his life and she didn't remember a thing.

_I love you._

He closed his eyes. Those words would sting him for a while. She had actually said it, and if it was only her head or not, it had been her subconscious, it had been real. He knew in his heart it was real.

Peter suspected that her mind kept protecting her and that somehow at creating that world, she left it there, whatever it had been. It was locked now under a big pile of fake memories along with her feelings.

Peter smiled sadly. It was gone. And it hurt.

Olivia started to look anywhere but at him. Of course she was embarrassed, this thing had destroyed her emotionally and sent her into an almost coma. It made her look weak, like she couldn't cope with it, and they all knew Olivia hated to look weak.

"Well, I'm gonna get dressed and then we can all get the hell out of this place. We have been here way too long."

Peter took refuge in the back of the lab while Olivia went to the back office to get dressed. She noticed a faint pair of bruises on her forearms.

Peter was looking for his cell phone everywhere; it seemed the damn thing had decided to go AWOL.

Olivia had already gone home, after calling Broyles who sounded relieved that his best agent was back. Peter had actually offered to take her but she said she would take a cab. He couldn't really argue with her, he was sure he wasn't prepared to be alone with her.

"I found it Peter!" Astrid entered the back office, cell phone in hand.

"Hey, thanks Astrid." He wanted to call her to be sure she was fine, but he didn't.

"I'm sorry." Peter stopped halfway through the office door at hearing Astrid's voice. "I'm sorry she doesn't remember."

He looked down to the floor; it really had some very interesting stains.. "So, you did listen."

"Walter promised not to say anything." He could only hope. Astrid looked at him like saying _Just wait Peter, it will happen; it will come to her, just wait._

"Thank you Astrid."

Astrid went around the lab, turning everything off, the image of Peter holding Olivia's hand at the hospital had been the most incredible sight she had of them. It would happen, she was as sure of that as her next breath.

The trip home was made in silence; there was almost no traffic due to the hours. Peter was grateful because he couldn't stop thinking about her.

Walter turned to look at him at a red light, all seriousness and a glint in his eyes.

"Peter, what happened in the tank...." He really didn't want to listen to this now.

"Walter..."

"It was very brave. I'm proud of you." Walter turned to look out of window.

Peter had to swallow hard because he felt a like a tennis ball has taken residence in his throat.

"Thank you Walter."

They stopped at the store to buy some strawberry pop tarts.

He was restless again, second night in a row. Awesome, Peter, really awesome. He never had this kind of problem, he could sleep anywhere at any time, but he just couldn't shut his brain down. Every time he closed his eyes an image came to his mind and he couldn't go there or he would do something stupid.

He looked at the ceiling again.

It had been two very awkward days. Every time she came to the lab or called, he practically ran out of the room or only got one or two words out of his mouth; she would glace at him weirdly and would go on with whatever she was doing. He knew she knew what his problem was, but she wouldn't ask, probably because she already knew she wouldn't like the answer.

He was right to not say anything, he knew it. She wasn't ready. So they ignored it but he knew he couldn't stand this too long; he had to do something. He had to know why.

"God, this cold is killing me." The lab was at a very toasty temperature but Peter was still wearing his coat, Olivia had discarded her suit jacket a good hour ago.

"You should tell Walter. This can't be normal." She said taking the last bite of her pizza.

"I've already told him, he only said "Son, you have a very low tolerance for cold." And he went back to mix whatever he had on the bowl at the time, so I'm guessing it's just a matter of time."

Peter took another sip of his beer. It was late at the lab. Walter had Astrid occupied with some experiment; he had brought the pizza and beer earlier in an attempt to reach back to her, to play normal for one night; it was probing to be a very difficult task.

He looked at her; she had her head on her hand, pop out on the desk, eyes closed; a rosy color on her cheeks, she seemed rested. She looked beautiful. _Okay Bishop, stop right there._

"You haven't remembered anything?"

Olivia opened her eyes, sleep evident in them. "I'm trying, but it's just as if the memory isn't even there." Olivia got silent and looked down to the papers on her desk; she stood up slowly, obviously she was going home. She seemed nervous.

"But you do." The comment startled him, she was pilling up the papers and she wouldn't look at him. "You have been acting a little weird."

Astrid was right, he wasn't as inconspicuous as he wanted to be, and she was an FBI agent who had spent a lot of time around him. She could read him; maybe he was wrong, maybe she was ready.

Peter stood up circling the desk, taking a step with every breath, stopping right in front of her. He waited until she looked up, their eyes meeting. He could deny it with words; but she was giving him an opening and damn if he didn't take it, whatever result he got he couldn't keep living in this limbo. He made the best choice he could at this moment; he let her see in his eyes that he did remember.

Olivia saw his eyes shine on the fluorescent lab light, and it was there.

_We kissed like there was no tomorrow, I felt you broken in my arms; I made love to you as I have wanted since you woke up from that accident. You wanted me in your life and I was your first choice for help. You were waiting for me. You needed me. You asked me to stay._

He was putting his soul on the line again; he was putting his feelings on display for her to see. This was real, this is why he let her see; that dream he had had at the hospital it had been her reaching for him. It was there, he knew it and he knew she felt it too.

_C'mon, Olivia... _

Her eyes changed colors right in from of him, fear, she was terrified.

_I heard you; somehow I heard your desperate voice calling for me. You brought me back from a darkness I can't remember._

He got closer, almost whispering in her ear. "I'm not going anywhere Olivia."

Peter unconsciously reached out to touch her cheek and Olivia's felt the air caught in her chest, a gasp leaving her mouth.

He was glimmering.

Peter could see something shifting in her eyes and then she was there again, the Olivia after Jacksonville.

_He is still here, why is he still here? Does this mean... Walter hasn't told him yet, no, no, no, please, no, not again._

She remembered what was bothering her.

He had seen that hunted look in her eyes before, at her apartment short after the attack a plea to not ask her what was bothering her, he had obliged just because she begged him silently. But now, he knew it was bad and it was possible it had to do with him, her actions in that imaginary world had told him that much.

"You remembered." He wanted to know, he needed to know, whatever this was had almost cost her life.

Olivia turned leaving the space in front of him empty, leaving him cold and disappointed; she started to put on her jacket.

"It's really late and I should go home." She tried to act casual but Peter had seen this before; he placed his hand on her forearm and made her face him.

"Olivia, what is it?"

She held his stare. _I can't do this._

Peter let go of her, Olivia picked up the rest of her things and walked to the door, she stopped before stepping out. "Thank you, for the pizza. I'll see you tomorrow." Olivia turned once more to look at him.

_I'm sorry_.

"Good night Peter."

He heard the lab door closing after her.

Peter was left there looking at the floor, one hand on his waist and the other on his forehead, practically fuming.

He had been so close. Peter took a plastic cup from the desk and threw it to the wall.

"Damn it!"

What the hell was it? What was so damn important?

Was she keeping something from him? It hadn't occurred to him until now, but he disposed of the idea almost immediately. No, Olivia would never do that, she knew how betray felt and she wouldn't do that to him.

He stayed all night at the lab trying to fix Walter's turn table.

Peter put on his jacket; every bone and muscle protested with the movement, but he couldn't stay one more second here.

_I'm not from here, am I?_

It has been this all this time and she had known.

He leaned on the hospital bed closing his eyes, catching his breath; the image he had kept with himself the past two weeks sting even more now; her crystalline green eyes piercing him, Olivia still beneath him, he could still feel her flushed body against his.

_I love you._

This is what had her so broken and defeated, this was why her sudden anguish at him leaving, this secret was what had made her not want to wake up.

_Well, you wanted to know, Peter, here is your answer._

It was so not what he expected. Whoever had said it was right, don't ask questions for which answers you are not going to like.

He took one more breath and straightened up, slowly walking towards the nurse station.

People will always disappoint you. He never expected her to do that.

"I'm checking out." The nurse looked at him curiously.

"I'm sorry sir, but you can't do that." No, this woman wasn't going to stop him. He wanted to be as far as Boston as he could right now.

"I'll sign whatever you want, I'm leaving." The nurse looked at him once more knowing she won't be able to stop him.

"Shall we call your father, or any of your lady friends?"

"No." He was succinct enough that the nurse finally took the hint and went for the forms for him to sign.

_Why didn't you tell me Olivia, why?_

He didn't want to dwell on the reasons at the time, he couldn't, anger was better now.

He signed the forms while the nurse babbled about what he should do and when to take his medication; the pen felt heavy in his hand, her desperate face coming to his mind again.

_Promise me, promise me you won't go, you won't leave me; you won't run when you find out._

He signed the last page.

_I promise_

_I'm not going anywhere Olivia._

He walked down the hallway towards the exit, looking straight ahead.

"Sorry sweetheart that is a promise I can't keep."

THE END

2nd author's notes: Every time I read a review I kept thinking "They are going to hate me" and I understand if you do; before I even started to write this story I debated myself about the end, but be noted, you made me doubt with ever single review, I just couldn't, why? Well, the very precise time frame should give you a hint, I wanted to put Peter in Olivia's shoes, he had a secret too now and he didn't want to share because he knew it would damage their relationship irreversible because Olivia is not ready, and for some masochistic think I have I wanted to brake Olivia to the end and him to see that, but I didn't want any of this to interfere with cannon so it had to be sort of real, Olivia would never allow herself to be weak in the real world or reach out for him, c'mon, they never touch on the show unless Peter starts it. So, I hope this hasn't disappoint you, it was always meant to end this way, BUT, I am honestly going to say that I don't know if I'll add more, I cannot promise you but I can't deny it either. So, thank you again, and I hope I haven't made you candidate for therapy.


	6. Epilogue: M

Spoilers: Over there part 1 and 2. (Really? Is that still spoilers?)

Disclaimer: No inFRINGEment intended. (I have always wanted to use that one)

Author's note: Yes, I know, you didn't like my ending, but as I said, it was always supposed to end that way, BUT, I also said that if I could come up with something else I would, and the season finale provided me with the perfect scenario; and honestly; after that horrible sad ending I wanted to give them some happiness.

Now, this is M again, I thought about it when I got the idea for this but I thought it was too sudden, then I read "Home" by Xeen Cyr and it didn't sound so sudden anymore, but that was her fic, I am not that talented, so, either way I hope you like it, and this is truly the end.

And, yeah I'm rambling here, I want to really say "thank you" to all those amazing people who stopped by, read, or reviewed, favorited or alerted this fic, REALLY it meant the world, I know we all say the same about the reviews we get, but really, It's just awesome that we can write fics, that people actually get to read it and on top of that leave you a review thank you very much!

Epilogue

"_Besides, chance or yourself, in your unconditional wisdom made that two souls that were destined to be tog__ether were born in different universes."_

_Lauranio – El hijo pródigo_

The only thing Olivia could think about while Peter shook Charlie's hand was that she hadn't seen him in over a month and how much she just wanted to touch him once more.

She had missed him so much.

The words left her mouth in a rush and she regretted hitting Charlie with that bottle, but she had no choice right now.

"Oh God, Peter, it's me." She looked up to a very surprised Peter.

"Thanks, I think I just figured that out."

"Do you have anything to tie him up?" Peter looked disoriented for two seconds, he then sprung into action and went to look for something to tie Charlie, she saw some kind of blueprints on top of a table along with a strange machine, she recognized it immediately and realized she had been so close to be late; she was examining the schematics when Peter returned with some kind of rope similar to the one she had found in her alters' house.

Peter helped her tie and carry Charlie to a closet, neither of them said a word occupied with the task at hand.

Olivia felt suddenly nervous; she just couldn't stop watching him. Peter walked towards the table and placed the piece of paper next to the blueprints, Olivia followed him.

It was getting increasingly difficult not to touch him.

"An Observer left that for me, you had the right to know." He looked at her; it seemed he was trying to decide something while attempting to make sense of what was in front of him.

"He lied to me. He told me I could heal the problems of this world. My father told me that all the problems out there started when Walter came over and stole me. And that, now that I was back, I was gonna be able to help to fix it. But his bringing me back was never about fixing this universe. It was about destroying yours."

He sounded so lost, cheated in so many ways, and yet she had been part of the lies.

"I'm sorry."

Peter got that expression in his face, as if something had just occurred to him.

"How long did you know?"

Olivia looked down trying to swallow her guilt; she didn't want to talk about that, but that was it, right? She had thought about this in that bar, how much she wanted to see him just once more so she could explain, apologize, make him understand why she did what she did, that it wasn't about duty, that it had been her own selfish reasons, that it had always been about him.

"A few weeks."

Peter looked down; she imagined he was thinking the same thing that he thought on the hospital, _how could you lie to me_? And he would be right, how could she? She had said it to Walter; she would have wanted to know if the roles had been reversed.

"Peter, I'm..." He didn't let her finish, composing himself immediately, all business; he thought this was all about duty and saving the world, Olivia knew in that moment that he kept thinking she had just been looking for him to make the right thing, because it was what she was supposed to be, protector, savior of the world, she could tell not even once it crossed his mind that she was doing this just for him, and he would just simply not look at her again, and all she wanted was to see that spark of life in his eyes,

"...don't worry. I'm not gonna let them do this."

"I don't think that he can. I mean, not without you. Peter... you don't belong here." He finally looked at her, she hadn't wanted to say it, really, she knew it would hurt, but he had to know, and she saw it in his eyes, he knew, and still...

"No, I don't belong here, but I don't belong there, either."

Olivia blinked confused. She heard something in her mind, as a distant memory, his voice mingled with hers.

_I love you._

Something nudged her from behind, and she felt it, she had never felt such certainty in her whole life, such confidence, this, what she was about to say, was the truth.

"Yes you do." He looked down again, she knew what he was thinking, _No, Olivia don't try to convince me, I'm not going back._

Olivia gave one step forward, she could see him swallow, it was now or never. She could give him a list of reasons: duty, loyalty, but she knew what the truth was.

_And I'm fairly sure you are not ready to lose him._

"I have thought of a thousand reasons..." she tried to control her beating heart, her nervousness, but she couldn't, and it was good, because this needed to be real, he needed to believe her.

This is not about duty Peter, is about you, and me, and us.

There has to be an 'us'.

She looked into his eyes, enumerating the rational reasons, and he looked at her, daring her to give him something more, he wouldn't be coming back for Walter, she had to give him something solid, something that no matter which reality he will be in it will be truth, not a created reason, a true one, one they both new, one she had been avoiding for a long time, since the first realization hit her at Vitas Petrol, when for the first time she felt panic at just the thought of losing him, something beyond Jacksonville.

_This is real Peter. I'm not lying to you, not again._

"You have to come back..." she swallowed once more and pleaded her eyes to not tear up, to make this honest.

_Please, please... just this once, I'm asking you to let me get him back, I need him, I need you Peter, please don't leave me, please believe me, please, please._

And she said it, "Because you belong with me."

She tried to breath but the air felt like jelly in her lungs.

Such strong words, she made it sound as if they were bound to be together.

For her they were.

Peter blinked, surprise registering in his expression, a '_what?'_ clearly written there, because he never thought she would actually say it, but Olivia knew it wasn't enough, no, he had put his heart on the line for her so many times, she had to give him everything or he would not come back.

Olivia gave two steps forwards, getting closer and closer, more nervous with each step, but she was so sure of this; she gave another step and allowed herself to feel, she finally let her heart heal.

He looked down to her lips and she looked up to his, hesitating, he angled his head...

_C'mon Olivia, just this once, he is worth the gamble, he is worthy of your risks, he has always been, his black and white, his grey, his willingness to help you, to protect you, his contacts, his courage, his love and passion, his strength, you can't be afraid anymore Olivia, you can't_. But she was.

He glimmered like hell.

And she kissed him, it felt like touching heaven for the first time, it hurt, as if this was physically painful, she concentrate on the feeling, she kissed him with eyes closed, pouring all of her emotions.

_Someone I care about is dying. I went a bit crazy a couple of years back. Dunham, any requests? It was wrong of me to ask you to stay. You have been looking out for me, so I'm just returning the favor. I'm here if you need me. Is that a dare? I care about you. I just wanted to say thank you. You are fine. I'm not doing this with you Olivia. I'll be fine. Peter, is Peter here? Is there anything else on your mind? Olivia, I think I understand what you are going through. He helps me too. You'll make plenty of memories with Ella. Olivia, please, you have to come back. I'm just saying the first one is difficult. Peter, be careful. You look lovely today Agent Dunham. I have never met anyone who can do the things that you do. I am number one on Olivia Dunham's speed dial? You are not alone on this Olivia. Peter, I'm scared. Don't be. You have to get to know me better._

_You are here, you are here_.

Olivia placed her hands in his chest, feeling him solid, he finally reacted, as he was been pulled out of a spell, Olivia felt his arms going around her waist and finally taking her in.

Finally.

He had been so naive, so stupid to think that putting distance between them, that by going to another universe he would forget about her, that by doing it he would somehow stop loving her. He couldn't have been more wrong; He never counted with Olivia following him, but he knew how intense and passionate she could be, he had seen it before, and yet, he never thought all of it would be directed to him. She had come for him.

He loved her, her, this Olivia, his Olivia, hunted yes, but his.

It was good Peter was holding her because she suddenly felt very dizzy, not just because of his touch or the intensity of his kiss, but because her memory had just decided to giver her back what they both needed the most right now.

A flush of images came to her mind.

The beach house.

_He covered the distance between them in two strides and then he was holding her again, kissing her like there was no tomorrow._

Peter kissing her.

_The room had been just painted, it still smelled fresh, different shades of green, but the furniture was what really struck him. There was a rocking chair and a crib._

A nursery.

_Peter caught her into his arms. "I'm so happy."_

Him holding her.

_Peter didn't know what else to do, so he held her, her sobs shaking her body_

His eyes above her, piercing through every wall she has ever built around herself.

His arms holding her...his body next to hers…him inside of her.

_"Make love to me Peter."_

_"Promise me, promise me you won't go, you won't leave me, you won't run when you find out."_

_"I promise."_

His promise.

Olivia stopped the kiss and leaned heavily on him, resting her head in his chest, her legs shake and she was sure she was about to fall, but Peter caught her in his strong arms, as always.

"Whoa, whoa, are you all right?" she could hear the concern in his voice, she grabbed for dear life to his shoulders, it was like feeling him for the first time, as if every molecule of her body had been designed to fit his, reacting to him, Olivia took a deep breath, hi scent coming to her in waves.

"Olivia, what's wrong?" His tone was soft, intimate, Peter waited for her to look up, but her eyes were still in his chest, she felt so completely overwhelmed that she could hardly breath, she felt her pulse accelerating, her heart beating furiously into her chest, she was sure he could hear it; it was like falling in love with him all over again.

"Olivia, please; look at me."

For once, unafraid, she did. There was a shine in her eyes.

Peter felt his breath caught in his throat, he felt nervous all of a sudden, and he could see it there; she remembered. He move his mouth trying to make words come out of it; he felt warm and complete, like no matter which reality he was in he would be home as long as she were with him. His voice trembled.

"You remembered." The words had left his mouth between a whisper and breath, all nervous, as if he was on the verge of crying.

Olivia placed her arms in his shoulders, down his arms, touching him as if proving to herself he was here too, that he was real.

"You are here, you are here."

Olivia let her head rest on his chest; he enveloped her in his arms.

"You have always been."

Her eyes were the deepest green, as they have been in that dream world, and he could see it there, the words she had whispered him while their love making.

_I love you._

Peter pulled her to him, his arms around her waist for support, her arms around his neck and he kissed her for real this time, hungrily, devouring her mouth, he didn't care if he died of lack of oxygen right here, this moment, he didn't care, she was with him, here, now, forever. He left her lips for just a second, never losing his grip on her, looking her in the eye, foreheads together, their breaths mingling.

"We should stop." He said practically out of air.

"Yes, we should." Neither move, both trying to calm down, but it was a vain effort, he just couldn't, not now.

It started with small kisses, with him trying to be gentle, to not let this thing inside his chest eat him but he couldn't, his kisses changed; hungry, needy, devouring, kisses that made her lightheaded, _I need you so much_ were the only words in his head and he knew he would die right now if he didn't touch her everywhere.

Olivia noticed what was happening until she was against the table and Peter's hand was already under her shirt.

She froze completely in panic. Olivia opened her eyes and stopped returning his kisses, her hand grabbing his mid movement; this was probably not the best moment for this to happen even if she wanted it.

"Peter...we need to go home." It came out as a whisper, completely panicked, Peter didn't stop.

"I'm home."

He stopped for a second to let Olivia look into his shining eyes, and then she knew this was not the moment to be afraid, there was nothing to be afraid of, he was here, with her and he was never leaving her again, he had risked his life then to bring her back, there was no doubt of what this was about.

"Olivia..." and he couldn't say another word because she interrupted him with another kiss, she reached out tentatively and started to unbutton his shirt, her hands trembling, Peter caught her hands before she could continue, maybe...

"Olivia, it's alright, we don't have to do this." He tried to calm himself down. His hands were warm on top of hers, his beautiful hands which she had missed so much, which had offered comfort more than once just with one touch, arms that had cradled her in her darkest hour inside her head, who refused to let her go.

It was her now who kissed him like there was no tomorrow, in her head was only that horrible month where he had not been there, the terrifying moment when she thought of him death on that machine, the time ahead of her without see him even again and it was unbearable.

Peter responded by unzipping her jacket while she worked on the buttons of his shirt, he pulled her with him walking backwards towards the bedroom leaving a trail of clothes on the way.

They reached the dark bedroom, the only thing there was Peter's jacket and coat over the bed, it already smelled like him; her feet bumped against the bed and she fell on it pulling him with her, Olivia could still see the glimmer in the darkness, but beyond that him, and he was so beautiful and real.

Peter lay down next to her and looked into her eyes, there was still some degree of uncertainty, doubt, fear; he removed a strand of hair with tenderness

"Olivia..." a lump formed in his throat, he wanted this so badly, but he wasn't about to hurry this, it was way too important.

Olivia looked at him with a hint of embarrassment, desire still present in her eyes, she wanted this, but it had been so long, she was so nervous, she felt like a teenager on her first time, not because she wasn't sure but because she was so...

This wasn't going to be a fling, a onetime thing, this was Peter. Peter gave her the option to stop if she wanted, but she reached out and place her hand on his chest again, just above his heart, it was as hers, beating furiously, he felt his chest was going to burst with so much happiness and love.

They both hesitated now finding themselves just on their underwear, it was so innocent and juvenile, so grown up and mature, all together, so intimate.

They were kissing each other, each touch felt like fire on their heated skins, he unclasped her bra and slowly let it go down on the bed, Olivia seemed shy, he had never seen something so perfect and beautiful, her own glimmering blinding him.

He kissed her breasts, left and then right with such devotion, his stubble against her skin awoke all of her senses, Olivia wanted to contain the sounds, but he seemed adamant that everybody in this New York hear her moan in pleasure from him.

The rest of their underwear went quickly, Peter's body was practically on top of hers, his warm permeating through all her walls, if there was any still standing, they looked into each other's eyes, Peter stopped just a second before looking at her again, making sure this was all right, Olivia just blinked.

He didn't stop looking at her while he entered her slowly, achingly slowly, Olivia made a tiny sound, something between pleasure and pain, a God leaving her lips, it was so intense for her, he stopped when he was all there, suddenly overwhelmed with sensation and feelings, he looked down into her eyes.

"Are you okay?" His voiced sounded raspy and shaky.

Olivia could only nod, the first thrust came slowly and Olivia whimpered again, it was suddenly too much; he was being so gentle, letting her set the pace, he thrusted again and Olivia hid her face on the crock of his neck, Peter turned to kiss her while they moved together, tender and soft, Olivia clunged to him as the solid rock he had been since they met, he filled her like nobody.

Olivia made noises he didn't know he could elicit from her, they both felt so close to the end with every movement, Olivia closed her eyes, loosing herself on the feeling, on the completeness of it all. Peter stopped suddenly.

"Olivia, look at me." His voice was just above a whisper.

She opened her eyes, a huge effort because she was feeling so much, Peter thrust into her one more time and they both came together, their eyes dilating of pure pleasure, his name in Olivia's lips in a ragged moan.

She didn't want him to move ever, his head was resting on the crock of her neck, she felt so touched, so much, tears left her eyes without her permission, Peter felt the wetness and looked at her, she looked the other way feeling embarrassed, Peter reached out making her face him again, he was so afraid he had hurt her, that he had rushed her into this, her right hand was still holding on to him, her left over her eyes.

"You are here." She said and he understood then, he didn't move not even a millimeter, and felt a tear of his own roll down his cheek; Peter took her hand in his and kissed it, then kissed her once more, she was still silently sobbing, Peter nuzzled the right side of her face, giving her time to calm still saying _I'm here_ without words.

Her sobs eventually stopped, Olivia still in his arms, they hadn't moved yet. She looked at him, serene, a mixture of the Agent and the Olivia he had just made love to.

Olivia took his face between her hands, feeling him, not wanting to break the spell but they really needed to go home.

"We have to go," her voice was just above a whisper.

"I know." He looked into her eyes, a blue that she could only describe as perfect, a thousand of feelings going through both. Peter kissed her once more, nuzzled her face again, and his stubble rough against her skin, a reminder of him.

Peter untangled himself from her and went to retrieve their discarded clothes as he went, Olivia followed him. They had just seen each other naked and still the turned until they were sure the other was dressed.

They looked at each other once more, the atmosphere didn't feel heavy or forced.

"I need to do something before we go."

"Okay."

Peter went to the bedroom, she went to check on Charlie, they would find him by the time they went home, if they actually got to return, their impromptu session had made them fashionable late to meet with Walter and Bell, but it was fine, she knew they would be fine.

She stood there for a few seconds, she felt so whole, exhilarated, her skin felt sweaty and hot, a blush came to her cheeks along with a thought; she had just made love to Peter Bishop, she looked to the floor feeling complete.

Peter returned not five minutes later wearing his jacket and coat, a piece of paper on his hands, she could read the words Elizabeth Bishop on it.

God, when was her selfishness going to end, she never thought his mother would be alive here, maybe she was asking him too much, and maybe she didn't have the right to do so.

"Peter..." Her eyes said it all to him.

"She just needs to know where I'm going, she would be fine." He said it confidently while placing the piece of paper on top of the piano; Olivia reached out for his hand entwining them.

"I'm asking you too much." Peter looked pensive at the paper and then at her.

"Don't..." Peter reached out with his free hand to smooth her hair, his eyes shining like sapphires, happiness and desire, "... this is not your wrong, Olivia; she is strong, she is going to be fine."

Olivia smiled encouragingly suddenly feeling self-conscious of what they had just done, her cheeks turning a nice shade of pink.

Peter caressed her blushed cheek and brought their joint hands to his lips.

"Let's go."

On their way out they took the blueprints for the device and the paper the observer had given her.

They stood in front of the elevator waiting for the cart to arrive with still joined hands. When they got into the elevator and before the door could close, he turned and kissed her again.

No matter what happened from now on they knew they would be fine.

THE END


End file.
